Heart of Dating is thrilled to welcome Rachel and Harold Earls to the show today!

Captain Harold Earls IV is an active duty Army officer currently serving as the Commander of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He has appeared on such media outlets at The Weather Channel, ABC News and USA Today. Rachel Earls is a beloved vlogger, business owner, founder of the Earls Family Foundation, an Army wife, and mother. She hosts Earls Family Vlogs, which has 39 million views on YouTube and half a million subscribers, who tune in regularly for Rachel and Harold’s discussions on faith, family life, and love. In addition, the couple has more than 300,000 social media followers. Harold and Rachel are raising their two young sons, Leo and Wyatt, near Washington, DC. 

Harold and Rachel just release their new book A Higher Calling: Pursuing Love, Faith and Mount Everest for a Great Purpose which shares their story and challenging first year of marriage when Harold’s pursuit to climb the world’s tallest mountain deepened their faith, strengthened their commitment to each other, and sharpened their vision to make a difference in the world.

On today’s episode, they discuss how communication, seeking adventure, and learning to be selfless are all vital ingredients when it comes to a marriage.

Would you tell us a little bit about your new book?

• Harold is a captain in the United States army and in active duty. They have a baby and a three year old.
• Earl’s Family Blogs is their youtube channel where they share their daily life and faith.
• Their first year of marriage, Harold climbed Mount Everest and their new book is called A Higher Calling: Pursuing Love, Faith and Mount Everest for a Great Purpose.
• When he came up with the idea of climbing Everest, they were newly engaged. 

What is the process of you guys dating prior to getting engaged?

• Harold and Rachel met over Facebook DMs.
• Rachel’s cousin was Harold’s best friend in high school and showed him a picture of her.
• They shared their story of not only meeting online but also dating long distance and not being able to see each other very much. 
• They were long distance from the moment they met till the time they got married. 
• Rachel says long distance is challenging but truly is a way to strengthen communication in the relationship and helped strengthen their marriage.
• Long Distance is a great way to get to know one another on a deeper level and you don’t have to deal with physical barriers.

Rachel, How was Harold’s goal to climb Mount Everest important to you and how did it impact you?

• Harold’s ability to dream inspired Rachel that she too could do anything.
• We oftentime see others achieving goals, but think we can’t do them ourselves, which isn’t true! If God gave you a gift, run after it!
• Harold said not only was Rachel supportive of it, but wanted to help him achieve that dream!
• They both discussed they learned so much about relationships and true love while working towards the dream.

What is true sacrificial love?

• Marriage is more than just your dream, it's about both your dreams and it’s all about supporting one another. 
• “God is always crafting something more beautiful than I can craft”
• Rachel said that if she didn’t support  Harold, it would've put a wedge between them.
• The same way Rachel supported Harold, he supported her with their youtube channel which was originally her dream and it’s amazing that God used both those things together!
• “Growth can come through every single season that we walk through if we choose it”
• Harold talks about how when they just got married, his parents went through a divorce which shook them both to their core. However, they let it have a positive effect on them by letting it grow their relationship.

Could you share a little more about your experience of the Mount Everest summit?

• Rachel said in relationships it's important to know yourself completely, and she knew if she just stayed at home waiting for Harold, she’d probably become resentful.
• While Harold was climbing Mount Everest, Rachel took the opportunity to travel all over the world with friends. 
• Choosing to live your life during waiting periods is so important, because if not, it’s easy for resentment to sneak in.

Dating today can come with very selfish reasons. How do you practice being selfless in your relationship?

• We don’t know how long the timespan we have is, so we have to be able to want to use it.
• Everything that Harold and Rahcel do, they try to do it with purpose to keep a kingdom mindset. 
• Strive to make a difference is the lives of others.

What is your final nugget of dating advice?

• Harold said to focus on becoming the very best version of yourself while you wait to meet your spouse.
• God is constantly working on you and constantly working on your spouse (whoever that may be!) so take advantage of that.
• Continue to work on yourself even after you end up in a relationship. Always keep putting your best foot forward. It’s a constant growing process.

Other Resources:

Get their new book HERE

Subscribe to their Youtube Channel HERE

Find Rachel on Instagram HERE

Find Harold on Instagram Here